COLLIES GROUP: Industry Leader, Community Driver

In South Africa’s bustling textiles and apparel sector, few names carry as much weight – and heritage – as Collies Group. A Durban-based, family-run manufacturing powerhouse, the company has moved with the times, transformed its offering, and grown into a go-to provider for top-tier corporate wear. With more than 600,000 garments flowing from its factory floor each year, Collies is a champion of South African manufacturing and a proud symbol of industry resilience and innovation.

Established in 1936, Collies began life as a simple outfitter, catering to the needs of the local community. Fast forward nearly 90 years, and the business is now a sophisticated, vertically integrated operation serving major clients across finance, hospitality, education, and more. From humble beginnings to an operation capable of outfitting multinational banks and growing into Africa, Collies has carved out its place at the top of the ladder.

Under the stewardship of CEO Roland Hansen, the company has been redefined for a new generation, evolving from a traditional tailor into a future-facing clothing manufacturer. “In building strong relationships with our customers and through listening to and understanding their needs we are able to offer advice and give direction,” says Hansen. “We have three key offerings: Design, manufacture, and distribution. Because of our people, we are able to consistently deliver on our promise of service excellence and customer satisfaction which facilitates us being the supplier of choice for corporate and retail outlets.”

For Hansen and the wider Collies team, transformation has never been about flashy change for the sake of it. This is a company that sees deep value in people – customers, staff, partners – and builds long-term strategies around relationships. “Our focus is very much on our people. We believe if we get the right people in place and get them doing the right things, then the business will take care of itself,” he explains.

CORPORATE STYLE SHIFT

One of the biggest internal transformations at Collies has been about visual identity and company structure – something Hansen likens to redesigning a bus. “Our internal strategy works with the metaphor of the business being like a bus. We have been working towards changing what our bus looks like – looking at the people who are on the bus, rebranding, and seeing how it moves. If we get everything right, we think it will move forward fast,” he says.

With the internal wheels spinning smoothly, Collies is now looking outwards. “We are now shifting from an internal strategy to an external perspective – how do we expand in the market and win new business,” says Hansen. And there’s plenty to aim for. In a post-Covid world where corporate culture is changing and workwear is being redefined, Collies has used its in-house design and development capabilities to innovate and lead.

“We have been working extensively on product development,” Hansen shares. “Going back 15 years, corporate wear was very traditional, but we are seeing a massive shift with people wanting to be more fashionable and they want more choice in terms of the wardrobe they have. We have been bringing the fashion part of our business more in the corporate space to change that. That has been exciting to contribute to moving the market in a different direction.”

This fresh approach is reflected across Collies’ various divisions. From Tailored For You – offering personalised wardrobe solutions for brand-focused clients – to C-Workwear, which meets industrial and functional uniform needs, the company delivers a full suite of design-led, quality-manufactured clothing under one roof. Its CU Brand and CU Kids ranges take care of retail and school wear respectively, while the hospitality and health sectors are catered for through the stylish C-Hospitality and CU Care divisions. It’s this flexibility and breadth of expertise that keeps Collies relevant, competitive, and in demand.

“We would like to cement ourselves in the corporate wear space,” says Hansen. “We have noticed that, especially with banking clients, we are pioneers in the way that we service them. But you can only be a pioneer for so long before people start to copy you so from a product perspective we will be exploring different directions.”

Collies has become adept at operating in complex and fast-changing environments. Whether it’s providing a consistent look and feel for a multi-branch financial institution or developing stylish uniforms that reflect a hotel’s brand identity, the company understands the role of clothing as an extension of image. With local production capabilities, it also delivers speed and responsiveness that international competitors often cannot match.

PART OF THE ENGINE

As a large employer and exporter of South African-made goods, Collies plays a vital role in the country’s broader manufacturing and industrial ecosystem. According to PwC’s Manufacturing Industry Analysis, the sector is one of South Africa’s key economic pillars – contributing around 13% of GDP and employing roughly 1.7 million people. Textiles and clothing represent a labour-intensive sub-sector where local production remains critical in both job creation and value chain stability.

The South African government and organisations like the African Continental Free Trade Area (AfCFTA) have identified manufacturing – especially of clothing and textiles – as an area of opportunity, particularly for intra-African trade and industrial growth. Collies is perfectly positioned to benefit, and to lead.

“We are finding that a lot of corporates that we deal with here in SA are expanding their operations into Africa and that is where a lot of our continental growth comes from,” Hansen reveals. “We haven’t actively been going out and trying to get business in those markets but it is certainly growing for us.”

This organic expansion into new regions aligns with national priorities around export growth and local industrialisation. As the African Journal of Construction and Economy points out, improving the competitiveness of domestic clothing producers is critical for reversing deindustrialisation trends and boosting employment.

Collies doesn’t just manufacture; it sustains. It sustains jobs in KwaZulu-Natal, it sustains brand identities for some of the country’s most prominent corporates, and it sustains a long family legacy of excellence and reliability in apparel. And now, with one foot firmly planted in South Africa and another stepping confidently across borders, the company’s next chapter is taking shape.

“We think there is a lot of opportunity in the hospitality industry for us to grow and we would like to become one of the stronger suppliers over the next five years,” says Hansen. With its deep design capabilities, large-scale manufacturing resources, and decades of experience, Collies is ready to take on that challenge and more.

In a market that can be fickle and fast-changing, the consistency and dependability offered by a business like Collies is more valuable than ever. A respected name, a trusted partner, and a driver of growth – Collies Group is not just keeping up with the industry, it’s leading from the front.